


Insomnia

by Medie



Category: Mutant X
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-27
Updated: 2010-03-27
Packaged: 2017-10-08 08:47:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/74796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Medie/pseuds/Medie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sanctuary feels more like home with each passing day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Insomnia

**Author's Note:**

> written for [](http://stargatejunkie.livejournal.com/profile)[**stargatejunkie**](http://stargatejunkie.livejournal.com/) for my Birthday Drabble-A-Thon.

At first, he doesn't sleep much. It's been years since Brennan lived in anything but luxury. He adjusts to the opulence of Sanctuary quickly, but he still doesn't sleep much. He wakes up in his comfortable bed, rolls onto his back and stares at the ceiling.

Eventually he gets up, grabs a book, and finds a stray corner of Sanctuary to curl up in. He has his favorites and knows how long he can read before someone finds him.

Brennan's got it down to a fine art. He doesn't hear Emma's footsteps, she's barefoot, but he knows. Sometimes, he thinks the connection they shared that first night's left its mark. He wonders if, maybe, he's sensitive to her now.

She smiles when he looks up. He wonders if, maybe, the reason he doesn't sleep is so he can have sights like this.

"Can't sleep either?" asks Brennan, making room for her to sit.

She does, pulling her legs against her chest and resting her chin on one knee. "Not really."

"I didn't wake you, did I?"

Emma looks at him, smiling. "No."

Closing his book, Brennan reaches out to brush a hair from her face. His fingertips linger on her cheek, savoring the silk of her skin. "I didn't wake you up, did I?"

Again she smiles, saying, "No." Lifting her head, Emma leans back against the wall. Her grip on her legs loosens a little. "I like it when you read. I can hear it in my head. It's actually very soothing."

Brennan just nods, but the thrill goes through him anyway. He had trouble with it at first, the idea that everything he thinks and feels is open to her perusal. As time passed, it became reassuring. With every day, Sanctuary feels more like home and Emma has a lot to do with that. He rests his head against the wall, looking at her.

He wants to say 'when I look at you, I think I could fall forever.' He wants to say it, but he doesn't. He looks at her. He rests a hand at the back of her neck, rubbing his thumb in slow circles. She squirms a little moving closer. "I'm glad," he says. "That it's soothing. I don't think I could take doing what you do. We never shut up."

Emma's smile is just a touch tired. "Some days are harder than others. Sanctuary's nice, actually. Quiet."

"Yeah, I get that," says Brennan. "Sometimes, I think it's spooky, but for you -- "

"It's peaceful." Emma sighs, leaning into his touch. "I can sleep."

"When you sleep." Brennan finds a knot of tension in her shoulder. He pulls his hand away, smiling at Emma's soft groan of protest, and puts his book aside. "I'm not going anywhere, Emma," he says. "Just turn around."

Being Emma, she gets what he's planning immediately. She turns, presenting her back to him. The pajamas she's wearing are satin and the top a halter. Her shoulders and back are bare. He coughs, realizing the predicament he's gotten himself into.

She tilts her head forward and he sees the quick hint of a grin.

"That's not fair, you know," he says. "A guy can't keep anything from you."

"It's a two-way street," says Emma. "I've never been that good a liar."

Brennan laughs softly, rubbing her shoulders in slow, deliberate movements. "You're better than you think."

"Not with you," says Emma, so quiet he almost misses it. It's the truth, he thinks. Most of the time, he knows when she's lying to him. "I don't think I can."

Not wanting to dispel the moment or make it heavier than it is, Brennan leans forward and kisses her shoulder. She shivers beneath his lips, but doesn't pull away. "Sure you can," he says. "You're just too nice to try."

"No, I'm not," says Emma. "I'm really not."

Brennan laughs at the melancholy in her voice. "No one is, Emma," he says. "That's the trick. We're all just really good at hiding it. It's why most people are freaked out by you. You see through the bullshit."

"Do I freak you out?" asks Emma. He thinks he can hear the worry in her voice, but he's not sure. Emma's better at hiding the truth than she thinks she is. "Really?"

"Really?" he asks. "No." He's being honest when he says it. He doesn't think it's a surprise to Emma. It's not a surprise to him. "You could, but you don't."

"Someday, I might." She pulls away, turning to look at him, suddenly serious. "Someday I might scare you all."

"Maybe," he allows, "but someday's not today." He kisses her, soft and gentle. "Okay?"

Emma nods. "Okay." Picking up the book, she pushes it into his hands and settles against him.

He takes the hint and, with an arm wrapped around her, reads.


End file.
